Night and Day
by vashtra
Summary: Set when Jackie starts sleeping over in Hyde's room.
1. Chapter 1

Night time was Steven Hyde's favorite time of day. Sure, he liked hanging out with his friends, especially in a circle, but night time was his. Back when he lived with Edna, night time was full of terror and forgetting, but at the Forman's it had come to symbolize a sort of peace. He could drop his zen and just exist in the quiet of the basement. So when Jackie came in the dead of night with tears in her eyes and they came up with this plan, Hyde thought nights were ruined for him. It wasn't that he didn't want to spend time with Jackie, surprisingly he was kinda looking forward to it (even if he hadn't been, he's never been able to say no to Jackie's tears), he just was nervous about giving up the peace he had just relaxed into. The first official night Jackie spent showed how he was right about Jackie ruining night for him, in a way. Night was still someplace he could relax and drop his zen, for the most part, while now snuggling up to a girl he was starting to care too much for. But his night could no longer compare to his mornings with her. He woke up buried in her hair (how did it ALWAYS smell so good? And so like her?) and often before her, which he preferred. He was learning to like Jackie awake, but he easily loved Jackie asleep. She was never that peaceful when conscious, always bouncing around and feeling a hundred different emotions. He was learning to see how special that was, but seeing her fully at peace in his arms led his heart to do things he would've denied if asked about. He could never stop himself from stroking her hair and kissing her neck; always desperate to see life return to those eyes yet never actually wanting to disturb her. She usually woke up smiling while snuggling closer until what little space the night created between them was nonexistent. He would start rubbing circles with his thumb on her stomach and she would hum happily and close her eyes again. Yeah, night was great and all, but nothing could beat waking up with his chick.


	2. Chapter 2

Jackie Burkhart had always hated night. She wasn't a big fan of being alone to begin with, but the darkness seemed to amplify her usually empty house and how lonely she was. She preferred mornings, when the sun was out and she spent a good amount of time lost in her closet finding the perfect outfit for the day; the insecurities brought out by the dark buried in the bright morning sun. Her apathy towards night grew and grew as her house became more permanently empty until she couldn't take it anymore. She didn't know how Steven would react, they hadn't been dating that long and she still wasn't 100% sure of his feelings for her, but lack of sleep and pressing silence suffocated her until she practically ran out of the house and found herself driving to the Forman's. She vaguely planned what she would say to Steven, but words fled her head as she met his startled, then concerned, eyes and she started to cry. To her surprise, not only did he comfort her, he absolutely forbad her from spending any more nights in an empty house. At this point they were snuggled up on his tiny cot and he was sitting against the wall holding her as she silently sobbed into his chest. They laid like that until her breathing slowed and it was obvious they were both almost asleep. Right before she lost consciousness, she felt him lean down and kiss her head while whispering "stay here with me." Her only answer was to snuggle closer. And just like that, Steven Hyde ruined mornings for her. Well, in a way. She did learn to appreciate mornings more and she became obsessed with being in his arms, but nights with him were something else all together. She didn't know what it was, but the darkness that once made her feel claustrophobic caused his mask to melt. In the dark of the basement, holding her in his arms, he finally opened up about his childhood and his upbringing. He would draw circles on her exposed skin and weave stories about his past and present, both of which would cause her to shiver. After a couple weeks, she couldn't even remember why the night used to scare her. Nothing could beat fighting the dark and loneliness with her Puddin Pop, not even the morning sun she used to put so much faith into.


End file.
